Rochester, New York is home to what some refer to as the Eighth Wonder of the World: the Erie Caal. The Erie Canal wasproposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, its purpose to connect Lake Erie in the West to the Hudson River in the East. The Erie Canal has a long and famous history, along with a legacy that will forever live with the Rochester area and all of New York State.

The history of the Erie Canal goes all the way back to 1768, when it was originally proposed in hopes of opening the land west of the Appalachian Mountains to settlers. These proposals linked the Hudson River to Lake Ontario. In 1808, state legislation finally provided funding for the full project, connecting the canal to Lake Erie. The canal was originally four feet deep and 40 feet wide, cutting through fields, hills, forests, cliffs, and swamps. Workers felled trees mostly by hand and blasted rocks using hand drills and black powder. They also included 18 aqueducts and 83 locks to ease travels across the canal. The extent of this manual labor made the Erie Canal both the engineering and construction marvel of its day.

The long wait and the extensive manual labor were certainly not for nothing. The Erie Canal had many significant effects that still resonate with the entire state of New York today. For example, the canal allowed New York to live up to its powerful title of the Empire State. Following the canal’s completion, New York became a power house in terms of population, industry, and economic growth. Specifically, it transformed New York City into the country’s busiest port, most populous city, and leader of trade and finance. The completion Erie Canal is arguably responsible for New York’s entrepreneurial attitude that New Yorkers still pride themselves for today. The canal also made national travel much faster and cheaper, allowing its passengers to travel from Buffalo to Albany in merely five days. By stagecoach, that same trip lasted two weeks. In addition to this, the canal enabled a flow of new people, ideas, and cultures. Immigrants knew they could easily find work with construction projects, causing diverse cities to develop along the canal. Social movements such as women’s suffrage and abolitionism gained momentum throughout the state. Religious movements and utopian communities thrived. Because the Erie Canal was so beneficial to both the social and economic growth of New York State, the U.S Congress established the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor in 2000. This corridor covers 524 miles of upstate New York and connects 234 diverse communities.

As a Rochester native, I was taught the significance of the Erie Canal from a very young age. In fourth grade, I vividly remember learning the famous Erie Canal song, created by Thomas S. Allen in 1905. Throughout the song, Allen discusses the community building that resulted from the construction. This is especially evident in the chorus, which repeats four times.

“Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we’re coming to a town
And you’ll always know your neighbor
And you’ll always know your pal
If you’ve ever navigated on the Erie Canal”

After singing the canal’s anthem and taking field trips to its waterways throughout my childhood, I have most definitely learned to appreciate the Eighth Wonder of the World that played such a major role in shaping my home, the Empire State.

Works Cited
By RegionErie Canal- EastErie Canal- CentralErie Canal- WestCayuga-Seneca CanalChamplain CanalOswego CanalBy CategoryHistoric and Cultural Sites and MuseumsCanal Structures and Engineering MarvelsRecreationNature Preserves and ParksThe ArtsLearnOverviewHi. “History and Culture.” Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor ::. Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
“The Erie Canal.” The Erie Canal. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
“Erie Canal Song.” Erie Canal Song. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

*pictures cited in their descriptions*